Machine for mixing or masticating rubber and like material



March 24, 1925.

D. R. BOWEN ET AL MACHINE FOR MIXING 0R MASTICATING RUBBER AND LIKEMATERIAL Original-Filed Sept. 14, 19.17 3 Sheets-Sheet l 8 2 w t 0 I mmh HS M3 E K I L7 mm AMA ML N w ENS wn e mun HF RM a m om MO I X .m HR 09F 13 d 2m .h. c r m March 24, 1925.

D. R. BOWEN ET AL MACHINE FOR MIXING 0R MASTICATING RUBBER AND LIKEMATERIAL .Olfgi nall Filed Sept. 14, 1917 Patented Mar. 24, 1925.

' UNITED STATES I Y i .g

PATENT orric .DAVID BEES BOWEN AND CARL F. SCI-INUCK, BOTH 01 ANSO'NIA,CONNECTICUT, AS- SIGNOR-S TO BARREL FOUNDRY iz; MACHINE GOIVIPANY, EANSO'NIA, CONNECTICUT.

Ii IACI-IINE FGPU MIXING OH MASTICATING RUBBER AND LIKE MATERIAL-0rigiria1 application filed September 14, 1917, Serial No. 191,418.Divided and this application filed November 11, 1820, Serial No.423,365. Renewed August 29, 1924.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DAVID R. Bowen and Cain; F. Sonnuon, both citizensof the United States, and both residing in Ansonia, county of Newllaven,Stateof Con- This ii'ivention relates to machines r0 1- treating rubberand s nnlar material, and

it has particular reference to machines for masticating, working,kneading or mixing rubber which is to be used for various industrialpurposes, such as the one shown in our application Serial No. 191,413,filed September 1%, 1917, of whichthis application is a division. I I

One oi the primary objects of our invention is the provision of a.machine of the character indicated in which the working or kneadinaction is extremely thorough and efficient.

Another object o1 our invention is to furnish a masticator or similarmachine which will break up the rubber or other material and reduce itina comparatively short time to a smooth, homogeneous mass.

The invention also has in view the provision of avery eiiicient singlecylinder machine; the production of an improved form oi mixing chamberor cylinder and an improved form of rotor; aconsiderable im- 1iirovementin the method of constructing the rotor bearings; the provision of anefficientand simple form of cylinder or chamber c osure which can bereadily opened for the rapid and thorough discharge of the contents ofthe mixing chamber; and the general improvement in construction andoperation of devices of the class to which the invention relates. v

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the novel features,parts and com binations of parts to be hereinafter de scribed andclaimed. v

Reference isto be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of thespecification, wherein Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of themixer embodying our improvements showing the mixing chamber closed andthe pressure plunger in raised. position;

2 is an end elevation of tliei'rubber mixer shown in Fig. 1;

'Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 33 of Fig. 1, but showing thepressure plunger in its lowered position;

Fig. a is a sectional View of the mixing chamber showing the lowersection of the same in discharging position;

Fig; 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of ,Fig. 3; i

Fig. '6 is a detail side elevation of the rotor; v 1

Fig. illustrates a modified form of the mixing chamber and rotorconstruction; and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on line, 88 of Fig. 7, r

In the particular machine selected for illustration in the presentapplication, the structure is characterized by a generally cylindricalmixing chamber which is adapted to be supportedabove the floor level andin which there'is journalled a single, approximately central. mixingelement or rotor adapted to be driven-by powerapplied to the rotorshaft. This machine is intended to be charged at the top and dischargedat I the bottom, for which purpose the mixing chamber is provided at itsupper portion "with a stack or chute into which the matemodificationwithout departing from the scope of our invention, which concerns it-.self chiefly in its primary aspect with the form of the mixingchamberand rotor and the manner in which. said. parts cooperate.

In the example illustrated, a mixing chamber 20 of generallycylindricalshape is mounted between suitable standards, pedestals or end "frames21, having heads 22 which close thecylinder at the respective ends. Theend frames and the body portion of the cylinder may be conveniently,inter the cylinder being provided With one or into these bearingsleeves,

more blades for masticating or lea ading the material, as hereinafterdescribed.

Stuiling boxes are provided for the rotor shaft in conv nient andsatisfactory man ner by forming-bear .iinthe end frames 21, opposite thecenter of the heads 22, and the-bearings for the rotor shaft may beconveninetly iormedin adjustable stuffing box glands 2,6,. of brass orother suitable bearing metahsnugly fitted Adjacent the chamber thehollow portions. or the sleeves 21 are reduced in-sizeby the provisionof annular shoulders 21 and rings 27' of suit able packing or the likeare adapted to it around the-shaft, and-be compressed against theshoulders by the adjustable glands. i The edges-of the sleeves. areprovided; with studs 21 Whichare adapted to be received in opening 26*in annular flanges 26 formed on the outer ends-of the glands 26. It willbe apparent that by tighening the nuts 28', threaded on the studs 21,the glands 26 may be adjusted to the desired position. These stuiiingboxes are admirably adapted not only to prevent the escape from thecylinder of; the material under treatment there-in, i but also toprevent any foreign matter such as. oil, duster the lilze from: working.its Way into the chamber around the rotor shaft.

At upper portion her, the same isprovided with r upright stack, chuteorchimney 29, which may be conveniently cast integral with the main bodyportion of the cylinder. Near the upper-end'otthe stack or chute is acharging opening 30 through which material to be treated is introduced,and operating in the stack is a charging device in the form of apressure plunger 31, movable up and down by fluid pressure cylinder andpiston device 82, supported ontop otthe stack. The plunger 31 has a rod33 extendingupward into the cylinder and: on-the rod 83 is a piston 35.Inthe particular example shown, the plunger 31 is hydraulicallyoperated, for which purpose Water connection 36 is provided at the topof the cylinder 34 above piston While a second Water connection 37 isprovided at the lower part of the cylinder. The connections 36, 37 arecontrolled'by valves in an obvious manner, so as to produce the upwardand downward of the mixing chammovement of the-pressure plunger 31 in amanner which is Well understood in the art.

' sleeves or bones. 21

When the material to be treated has been introduced into the mixingchamber through the, openingincthe. stack, the pressure plunger 31 isforced down so as to push the mass forcibly into the mixing chamber, andhold it i-n contact with the: rotating blade or bladesthereim-Wherebysuch material is effectively acted upon by such blade orblades. When them'ixing ormasticating operation has, been completed, themachine is dischargedby moving thelower part of the mixing chamberrelatively to the upper part in such a manner that an openingispresented: for thefidisoharge of the. material, usuallyinadownwarddirection. For this purpose the machine shown in the drawing hastheentirelo ver portion 318 of the chamber 20 arranged so; that it canbe moved downward to open the lower part of the, machine, andthemfovablewvall portion 38 o f-the chamber isrpre-iferably hinged at oneside ofthe chamber, asv shown. at 3.9, so that it can swing downwardinto. the discharging position shown inrFi'g. 4. In the particularexample illustrated, the. lower movable section 38 comprisesapproximately half of the main. mixing I chamber? Wall, said mixingchamber being divided longitudinally and diametrically, but, otcourse,this-is not es-. sential in all; cases, Furthermore, the method ofhinging themovaible section 38 and the means-for looking: it in placemay vary considerably as called for different conditions, In the caseunder discussion, thehinge connection 39 consists of a pint-1e whichpasses through alternately arranged knuckles: on the. main body ofthe'chamber wall, and on. the movable part. 3.8. In" Fig.

5, it will be observed' that the knuckles of the; main or.- body portionofithe chamber Wall are indicated 211720, While thelmuckl es of part 38,are designated38 At the opposite side of the mixing chamber, swinginglocking bolts 450' having nuts 41 are pivoted tov lugs 42 on the bodyportionofthe chamber, so as to hang downtherefrom, and the nuts al areadapted to engage the under surface of a lateral" slotted lug or flange.

43 at the tree edge of the hinged section 3st) clampithe two sectionsofthe casing or chamber"together. The lug 4:3 isprovided with slots 44mm" Whichthe bolts 40 are adapted to swing, asshoWn more particularly inFig, 5-, screwing up the nuts d1, the machined meetingedges'otfthecasing or chamber section's maybe forced into tight contactto preventeflectivelythe escape of any of the treated" materialiat the jointbetween the sections.

In the example sho-Wnin Fig; 1 the rot-or is providedwvithinthemixingchamber with an enlargement or hub 25, on which two blades 2T areprovided, oneot said'blades being located in one end of the mixingchamber and the other" in'the opposite end.

These blades, moreover, are located approximately diametrically withrespect to the shaft axis, as shown, for example, in Fig.

6. In this particular example each blade extends approximatelythroughout one half of the mixing chamber length, and both bladescooperate with a transverse rib or perature of the material can becontrolled to a certain extent by means of water, steam or other fluidintroduced into the mixing chamber wall and the interior of the rotor,which may be made hollow for this purpose. In the present case, we haveshown a hollow rotor but we havenot considered it necessary toillustrate a. jacketed chamber as this in itself is a well-knownfeature.

The mixing or masticating operation having been completed, the machineis discharged by opening the lower part of the mixing chamber, as shownin Fig. d. The rotation of the rotor iscontinued until. all of thematerial has been stripped off of the same. In this operation, themainor body portion of the mixing chamber acts in the nature of a stripper,that portion of the rib carried by said body portion being especial- 1yeffective in this regard. When all of the treated material has beenstripped off and discharged, the mixing chamber is again closed, and thepressure plunger is raised preliminary to operation on another batch ofmaterial.

In the particular form shown in Fig. 1, the rotor hub is enlarged at themiddle portion, being formed, in effect of two cone frustums with theirbases together. The blades 25 are bevelled off at their inner portionsto conform to the rib, as shown at 25, and their inner ends are locatedclosely adjacent the center of the hub. and the center of the rib, so asto press the material forcibly through the narrow, annular ex trusionopening which is provided at that point, in a direction which isgenerally lengthwise of the chamber. The. outer end portions of theblades are of the full depth, so that their outer edges rotate in closeproximity to the cylindrical wall of the chamber, while the edges at theextreme outer ends of the blades rotate in close proximity to the endwalls of the chamber. By this construction, the material is effectivelysmeared or scraped along the walls of the thing at the other side faceof the rib or.

other constriction, although, in the example shown, this occurs at adiametrically opposite point. The mixing chamber can, be said to consistof -two end portions or sections created by constriction of theintermediate part of the chamber, there being an operating blade in eachchamber section, which, by rotation therein, forces the mate rial intothe other section, whereby an alternate movement of the material fromone section to the other by way of the constrict ed portion is obtainedas long as the blades are rotated. i

In the broad aspects of our invention, we do not limit ourselves toanyparticular form of transverse rib or constriction, nor to any particularnumber or disposition of the blades so long as the generaloperationhereinbefore described is obtained. In the form shown in Figs.7 and 8, for example, four blades-48 are used at each end of the rotor,

1. e. in each compartment of the mixing chamber. This arrangement isparticularly intended for a mixer oflarge capacity, and the number ofblades canbe still further increased if desired. In thisparticularembodiment a sharply defined. intermediate rib or abutment 49 ofV-shaped cross-section is employed. In a machine of this type, theblades of the two series corresponding. to the respective compartmentsor divisions of the chamber are arranged in staggered relation, as shownin Fig. 7 to obtain the alternate movement of the material from one.

ever, this feature and others may be considerably varied withoutdeparture from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. I

It will be understood, of course, that while our improvements are. shownin connection with ainixing chamber provided with a rib to cause anextrusion of the material therein, we do not limit ourselves to such achamber, as in some aspects of the invention it is not essential thatthe mixing chamber be provided with a rib. It will be further understoodthat while we have chosen to illustrate our invention as applied to arubber mixer provided with one chamben the invention is not to bechamber, said end walls being extensions of said pedestals.

1.3. In a machine of the class described, a cylindrical working chamber,pedestals for supporting said chamber, provided. with extensions formingthe ends of the chamber, the curved surface of said cylinder comprisinghinged sections supported between said ends.

14;. In a machine of the character described, a working cylinder open atthe ends, heads applied to the ends of the cylinder and havingsupporting pedestals, a rotor journalled in the heads and having bladeslocated in the cylinder, and a hinged dis charge section at the lowerpart of the cylinder directly below the rotor interposed be tween thepedestals and extending tronione of them. to the other.

15. In a machine of the character described, a working chambercomprising two end we. ls and a cylinder supported therebetween anddivided substantially diametrically in a lengthwise direction into twosections, one of said sections being rigidly connected to said end wallsand having the other section'hinged thereto.

16.111 a machine of the character de scribed, a worlringchambercomprising two end walls and a cylinder supported therebetween anddivided into two sections, one of said sections being rigidly connectedto said end walls and having a laterally extending hinge pin mountedthereon, and means for swingingly mounting the other section on. saidpin.

14'. In a machine of the character described, a chamber to COHtfilIl.the material to be mixed, a bladed rotor in said chamber,

there being aplurality of blades on each end of said rotor arranged instaggered relation to the blades on the other end thereof.

18. In a machine of the character described, a chamber to contain thematerial to be mixed, at bladed rotor in said chamber, there being aplurality of blades on each end or said rotor arranged in staggeredrelation to the blades on the other end therei of, and each blade urgingsaid material from the chamber end toward an intermediate portionthereof.

19. In a machine of the character de scribed, a chamber containing thematerials I to be mixed and having a constricted intermediate portionand a plurality oi blades operating in each end of the chamber to forcesaid material through the constricted portion of said chamber.

9.0.- ln a machine of the character de ery.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands on the 6th day ofNovember, 1920.

'DAVID REES BOWEN,

CARL F. SCHNUCK.

